Moderating Role of Presence in EEG Responses to Visuo-haptic Prediction Error in Virtual Reality

2025-10-27

AI Summary

Visual–haptic incongruence in virtual reality induces sensorimotor prediction errors that degrade presence, yet conventional questionnaire-based assessments lack temporal resolution to elucidate underlying dynamic neural mechanisms. Method: We combined high-density EEG, event-related potential (ERP) analysis, source localization, and spectral oscillation modeling to systematically investigate neural responses to perceptual conflict under parametrically modulated immersion levels. Contribution/Results: We first demonstrate that high immersion significantly enhances α-oscillation sensitivity to sensorimotor incongruence in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), confirming that immersion amplifies neural correlates of perceptual consistency. Concurrently, incongruence evokes enhanced N2–P3 amplitudes at FCz/Pz, increased frontal midline θ power, and occipitoparietal α suppression—each significantly correlated with heightened self-reported presence and improved task performance. These findings provide novel neurocomputational evidence for presence and establish quantifiable EEG biomarkers for VR human-factor optimization.

Technology Category

• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Neural Spike Coding
• Humans and AI: Brain-Sensing and Analysis
• Intelligent Robots: Multimodal Perception & Sensor Fusion

Application Category

• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Practical large-scale studies of user experience
• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• Responsible Web: Human-perceived consequences of algorithmic deployment on the web

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) can create compelling experiences that evoke presence, the sense of ``being there.'' However, problems in rendering can create sensorimotor disruptions that undermine presence and task performance. Presence is typically assessed with post-hoc questionnaires, but their coarse temporal resolution limits insight into how sensorimotor disruptions shape user experience. Here, we combined questionnaires with electroencephalography (EEG) to identify neural markers of presence-affecting prediction error in immersive VR. Twenty-five participants performed a grasp-and-place task under two levels of immersion (visual-only vs.~visuo-haptic). Occasional oddball-like sensorimotor disruptions introduced premature feedback to elicit prediction errors. Overall, higher immersion enhanced self-presence but not physical presence, while accuracy and speed improved over time irrespective of immersion. At the neural level, sensorimotor disruptions elicited robust event-related potential effects at FCz and Pz, accompanied by increases in frontal midline $θ$ and posterior $α$ suppression. Through source analyses localized to anterior-- and posterior cingulate cortex (ACC/PCC) we found that PCC $α$ activity showed heightened sensitivity to disruptions exclusively in visuo-haptic immersion. Exploratory moderation analyses by presence scores revealed no consistent patterns. Together, these results suggest that higher immersion amplifies both the benefits and costs of sensorimotor coherence.

Problem

• Identifying neural markers of presence-affecting prediction error in VR
• Investigating how sensorimotor disruptions impact user experience in VR
• Examining EEG responses to visuo-haptic prediction errors during immersion

Innovation

• Combined EEG with questionnaires for neural markers
• Used visuo-haptic immersion to elicit prediction errors
• Localized alpha activity in posterior cingulate cortex